“Go.” Jax laughs. “We'll talk about this later.”
“You got it, Coach.” I give him a salute.
I’m grinning widely as I leave the ice. “Come here, big sister.” I start walking toward Lilly.
“Get away from me,” she squeals as she starts to run away.
“Not so fast.” I grab her, wrapping my sweaty arms around her.
“Oh my god! You fucking stink. I’m going to barf.” She starts to gag. “Why are you so wet? What is that smell?”
“It’s all man,” I laugh, rubbing my sweaty face against her cheek.
“More like a swamp monster.” She shoves out of my hold, shivering in disgust. “Go shower. While you do that, I’m going to burn my clothes.”
“Drama queen.”
She flips me off as she heads to the girls’ bathroom.
Once I’m showered and dressed, I grab my hockey bag and head out to the front of the stadium.
“I have two men who played hockey, and they never smelled that bad,” she tells me, as she rises from the bench where she was waiting for me.
“I can assure you they did. Trust me, I’ve smelled Toby’s hockey bag, and I thought there was a dead body in it.” I laugh as we head outside. “You just didn’t notice the smell of his hockey pants because you wanted to be in them.”
Toby is our stepbrother. And well... Lilly and Toby have never had a sibling-type bond. They’ve been in each other's lives since they were four and seven, but Toby has always had a protective way with her.
After a lot of drama, the two of them ended up together. I was around thirteen. She is also with Toby’s best friend, Bishop. When I tell you my family is a waving pride flag, I’m not joking.
But I love it.
It’s made coming out a breeze, minus the time I got punched in the face by my ex-best friend.
I never felt like I needed to hide who I was. Of course, it was rough as I navigated my feelings, but thankfully, I had Jax and Dad who helped a lot.
“That is not true.” Lilly laughs.
I give her a look. “Really?”
“I’m not talking about getting in anyone's pants with you.” She gives me a pointed look as I throw my bag into the trunk.
“I’m twenty-one, Lil. Sex isn’t a taboo subject.” I close the trunk and open the front passenger door. “I love lots of it.”
“Ew. No. I do not wanna hear about my little Benny’s sex life.” She covers her ears.
I laugh as I buckle my seatbelt.
“We’re all adults here, big sister.” I grin.
“No. I’m an adult. You will forever be my little brother. My kid brother. My best friend and little buddy.”
“We’re still best friends. I’m just bigger now.”
“Don’t remind me. You make me feel so old.”
“Lilly, you’re only like five years older than me.” I roll my eyes.
“Older than you. Old. Old!”
